EU sources -Strike over EU air traffic plan -June 12, 2013

A strike by air traffic controllers forced cancellations of more than 60% of flights around France and disrupted travel elsewhere in Europe, as workers protested a plan to simplify the continent's patchwork airspace. Over 2,000 flights were cancelled in France as more workers joined the second day of the strike, according to the civil aviation authority. Workers in 11 countries — including Austria, Britain, Italy and Portugal — held a series of brief walkouts, gatherings and minimum-work actions. The trade unions, all affiliates of the European Transport Workers’ Federation, represent about 25,000 air traffic control workers. They are upset at an EU plan to consolidate the patchwork of air traffic control systems under one authority. The plan wants to open up more duties to private enterprise, allow bidding on services like weather forecasting and navigation. The trade unions fear the plan will threaten jobs and passenger safety, and claim the EU is yielding to industry pressure to cut costs.